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Chemistry & Biochemistry Colloquium – Kevin Wolters – Dietz Research Group – Recent Advances in the Detection of Nerve-Targeting Chemical Warfare Agents

February 10, 2017 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

“Recent Advances in the Detection of Nerve-Targeting Chemical Warfare Agents”

Kevin Wolters

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

3210 North Cramer Street, Milwaukee, WI 53211

Advisor: Dr. Mark Dietz

ABSTRACT

Although the use of primitive chemical weapons dates back millennia, modern chemical warfare has its origins in WWI, when chlorine and mustard gas were widely employed.1 In the 1930’s, research to identify new pesticides inadvertently led to the preparation of the first members of a new family of chemical warfare agents more deadly than any known before: nerve agents. These agents, which include such materials as sarin, soman, and VX, are highly toxic organophosphorus compounds that cause rapid death by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme responsible for hydrolyzing acetylcholine. Because of their extreme toxicity, methods for nerve agent detection are clearly important. Early approaches to detection lacked speed and sensitivity, and often relied upon an indirect determination of the presence of nerve agents.2 In recent years, however, the application of mass spectrometry3, fluorescent probes4, nanotube-based electrochemical sensors5, and colorimetry using polymerized crystalline colloidal arrays6 has led to significant improvements in selectivity, limits of detection, and speed.

1 Frischknecht, F. (2008) The History of Biological Warfare, in Decontamination of Warfare Agents: Enzymatic Methods for the Removal of B/C Weapons.

2 Kramer, D., Gamson, R. (1958) Colorimetric Determination of Acetylcholinesterase Activity. Analytical Chemistry, 30 (2): 251-254.

3 Wang, Q., Xie, J., Gu, M., Feng, J., Ruan, J. (2005) Gas Chromatographic–Mass Spectrometric Method for Quantitation of Trimethylsilyl Derivatives of Nerve Agent Degradation Products in Human Plasma, Using Strong Anion–Exchange Solid-Phase Extraction. Chromatographia, 62 (3): 167-173.

4 Díaz de Greñu,B, Moreno, D., Torroba, T., Berg, A., Gunnars, J., Nilsson, T., Nyman, R., Persson, M., Pettersson, .J, Eklind, I. and Was̈terby, P. (2014) Fluorescent Discrimination between Traces of Chemical Warfare Agents and Their Mimics. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 136 (11): 4125-4128.

5 Kim, Y., Lee, S., Choi, H., Noh, J., and Lee, W. (2010) Detection of a nerve agent simulant using single-walled carbon nanotube networks: dimethyl-methyl-phosphonate. Nanotechnology, 21 (49): 495-501.

6 Walker, P., Asher, A. (2005) Acetylcholinesterase-Based Organophosphate Nerve Agent Sensing Photonic Crystal. Analytical Chemistry, 77 (6): 1596-1600.

Details

Date:
February 10, 2017
Time:
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Venue

Chemistry Room 190
3210 N. Cramer Street
Milwaukee, 53211

Organizer

Kevin Blackburn
Phone
414-229-3880